Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified alone before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday to answer questions about topics like political bias among the company’s employees.

Pichai emphasized the apolitical nature of the algorithms that determine search results for Google customers and downplayed Republicans’ fears that Google employees banded together to alter results for political purposes.

“I know Google’s attitude, ‘the algorithm made us do it,’” Republican Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot asked Pichai early in the hearing. “But I don’t know that I buy that. How do you explain this apparent bias on Google’s part against conservative points of view, against conservative policies? Is it just the algorithm or is there more happening there?”

“But what is important here is we use the robust methodology to reflect what is being said about any given topic at any particular time,” Pichai said. “And we try to do it objectively using a set of rubrics. It is in our interest to make sure we reflect what’s happening out there in the best objective manner possible. I can commit to you and I can assure you we do it without regards to political ideology. Our algorithms have no notion of political sentiment.”

Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz pushed Pichai to explain why Google had not investigated whether Google employees had manipulated search tools or other Google products in light of communications like emails about Breitbart that leaked Monday.

“How can I have confidencethat you’re protecting thesanctity of your system when youdon’t even know your employeesare getting together on your owncompany’s infrastructure to talkabout political activity?” Gaetz asked Pichai.

“At any given moment we assumethat somebody may be acting inbad faith, and that’s how wehave designed our systems withall the protections in place,” Pichai said.

Republican lawmakers questioned Google over examples of political bias. Those examples include leaked communications published by The Daily Caller News Foundation that showed the tech giant’s employees debated burying conservative media outlets in Google’s search function as a response to President Donald Trump’s election.

Committee member House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy emphasized Google’s outsized role in modern life during his opening remarks.

“According to the Wall Street Journal, 90 percent of all Internetsearches go through Google. That is power,” McCarthy said “It comes with responsibility.Mr. Pichai, it wasnecessary to convene thishearing because of the wideninggap of distrust betweentechnology companies and theAmerican people.”

The hearing was titled “Transparency & Accountability: Examining Google and its Data Collection, Use and Filtering Practices.” It was originally scheduled for Dec. 5, but was pushed back because of former president George H.W. Bush’s funeral.

Republican operative Roger Stone and Alex Jones of InfoWars were in the audience at the hearing, reported C-SPAN.

Republican lawmakers also criticized Pichai for skipping a Sept. 5 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on social media and foreign election meddling. Facebook and Twitter executives testified, and an empty chair with a nameplate that said “Google” sat where the company’s representative would have been.

One thought on “Sundar Pichai denies liberal bias at Google to Congress after leaked communications”

There is a simple solution to all this…Congress can pass a law to require these search companies to make their algorithms public. That would let everyone know what biases are built in. But instead our Congress just grandstands with useless questioning.